Author: France 24

Taiwan’s defence ministry condemned Beijing on Saturday for sending balloons across the median line that separates the self-ruled island and China, saying they pose a “serious threat” to aviation routes and are a form of harassment.  Issued on: 06/01/2024 – 12:17 1 min China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has in recent years stepped up military and political pressure – sending in an unprecedented number of fighter jets and naval vessels around the island. In December, Taipei’s defence ministry began reporting the appearance of Chinese balloons around Taiwan, noting at least four incidents in which they flew directly above…

Supermarket chain Carrefour has stopped selling Doritos, Pepsi and other Pepsico brands at its stores in France, Belgium, Italy and Spain amidst a dispute over price hikes, an industry source said Friday.  Issued on: 05/01/2024 – 16:44Modified: 05/01/2024 – 16:45 1 min “We no longer sell this brand due to unacceptable price increases,” say tags on shelves in Carrefour’s French stores where the Pepsico products once stood. The source said the move also affected stores in Belgium, Italy and Spain.It means consumers will no longer be able to find the iconic products alongside PepsiCo names such as Lay’s potato chips, Lipton…

Issued on: 05/01/2024 – 09:30Modified: 05/01/2024 – 10:57 03:02 Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant’s plan for the administration of the Gaza Strip after the conclusion of the Israel-Hamas war, which he submitted to the press on Thursday, says that Palestinian organisations should run the territory, but does not specifiy which. The plan also doesn’t mention whether Gaza residents who left their homes in the north of the enclave to find temporary refuge in the south will be able to return. FRANCE 24’s Andrew Hilliar reports from Tel Aviv. Read more on related topics: Source link

Ukraine said Friday it was so far unable to confirm that Russia had used North Korean missiles to attack it after Washington accused Moscow of using weapons provided by Pyongyang. Issued on: 05/01/2024 – 11:57 2 min The White House laid out the claims late Thursday and also said Moscow was seeking missiles from its ally Iran, as it burns through stockpiles of key munitions nearly two years into its invasion of Ukraine.US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby described the deliveries as a “significant and concerning escalation” but Kyiv hours after the announcement said Ukraine had yet to independently…

Issued on: 04/01/2024 – 15:15Modified: 04/01/2024 – 16:03 02:59 The funeral of Hamas’s deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri, who was killed in an alleged Israeli air strike Tuesday in the southern suburbs of Beirut, took place Thursday in Lebanon. Thousands of mourners gathered to participate in a funeral procession that started in the neighbourhood of Tariq El Jdideh south of Beirut, FRANCE 24’s Rawad Taha said, adding that there is a “sense of anger” among the Palestinian refugees living in the country. Read more on related topics: Source link

A New York judge on Wednesday began to unseal the identities of people linked in court documents to Jeffrey Epstein, the US financier who killed himself in 2019 as he awaited trial for sex crimes. Issued on: 04/01/2024 – 01:39Modified: 04/01/2024 – 07:48 2 min Notably included in the unsealed documents, which include almost 1,000 pages of depositions and statements, were former US presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, who have not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case.The list of around 150 people include a host of Epstein associates previously identified as John or Jane Does in a…

Issued on: 04/01/2024 – 12:30Modified: 04/01/2024 – 13:11 02:39 US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head Thursday to the Middle East as fears mount that Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza will spread across the region, following the killing of a Hamas leader in Lebanon as well as deadly blasts in Iran. FRANCE 24’s Andrew Hilliar reports from Tel Aviv. Read more on related topics: Source link

A “US strike” in Baghdad on Thursday killed a military commander of the Hashed al-Shaabi, an ex-paramilitary faction of the grouping said, with an Iraqi security official reporting two deaths in a drone attack. Issued on: 04/01/2024 – 14:12 2 min The Iraqi government, supported by pro-Tehran factions, decried an “aggression”. It accused a US-led international coalition but stopped short of pinning the blame on Washington, as regional tensions soar amid the Israel-Hamas war.”A drone targeted the logistical support headquarters of Hashed al-Shaabi,” mainly pro-Iranian former paramilitary units integrated into the Iraqi armed forces, said the security official.The strike killed…

Issued on: 04/01/2024 – 11:16Modified: 04/01/2024 – 11:59 01:46 People gather near a body on the ground at the scene of two explosions during a ceremony held to mark the death of late Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Kerman, Iran on January 3, 2024. © WANA news agency via Reuters Iran blamed Israel and the United States on Wednesday for twin bomb blasts that killed at least 84 people in the country’s south, ripping through a crowd commemorating Revolutionary Guards general Qassem Soleimani four years after his death in a US strike. Read more on related topics: Source link

China showcased on Thursday fighter jets firing missiles in the South China Sea, as it held rival military exercises with the United States in the hotly contested waters. Issued on: 04/01/2024 – 11:56 2 min The drills follow tense standoffs between Beijing and Manila in disputed reefs that saw vessels from the two countries collide and Chinese ships blast water cannon at Philippine boats.China last month voiced growing frustration and anger at the Philippines’ unexpectedly bold tactics, warning its neighbour to exercise “caution”.And footage shared by state broadcaster CCTV and the Chinese military on Thursday showed what they called “live…